Skyseekers
The Skyseekers are a sect of Hyolyn followers from Chondo. They travel the world, studying the beliefs of all people, recording their knowledge in secret temples. While they do not worship any particular gods, they respect the traditions of all and make it a point to avoid conflict. They claim no authority over religious mandates, but collect information on them all and compare their lessons. When news of a new cult or demigod begins to spread, it can be assured the Skyseekers will be boarding a ship to get a first hand account of history being made. The current heads of the order are Seeker Sparstaff and Speaker Juju. Deistic Portfolios * The Precursors ** Phon, God of Light ** Negi, God of Darkness ** Oma, God of Time ** Sule, Goddess of Life * The Míshásta Pantheon ** Grá, God of Leadership, Balance, Security, Wisdom and Strength ** Cera, Goddess of the Stars, Destiny, Knowledge, Language, Revelation, Memory and Thought ** Vvarnn, God of Destruction, Strength, Ferocity, Catastrophe, Rage, War, Blood, Tactics, Weaponry, Leadership, Battle Prowess, Ambush, Hunting and Defense ** Thena, Goddess of Land, Seeds, Crops, Seasons, Stones, Metals, Flowers, Plants and Growth ** Shumisen, God of Death, Souls,the Void, Ancestors, Judgement, Fate, Repose and Resurrection ** Eagla, Goddess of Madness, Murder, Insanity, Nightmares, Curses, Evil, Sorrow, Fear, Decay, Torture, Slavery, Tyranny and Panic * Elemental Gods ** Ikait, God of Wind, Air, Clouds, Sacrifice, Blood, Weather, Ice and Storms ** X'', God/dess of Fire, Lava, Ash and Smoke ** ''X, God/dess of Earth and Caves (Thena?) ** X'', God/dess of Water, Seas, Waves, Ships and Rivers ** ''X, God/dess of Aether ** X'', God/dess of Wood ** ''X, God/dess of Sulphur ** X'', God/dess of Mercury ** ''X, God/dess of Salt ** X'', God/dess of Metal (Thena?) ** Animals ** Healing ** Imagination, Craftwork and Trade ** Moon and Night ** Sun and Day ** Undead ** Magic, Runes and Wards ** Travel and Exploration * The Beannaithe ** ''Kite, God of Guardians, Protection, Defense, Purity, Glory, Heroism, Honor, Liberty, Resolve, Law and Redemption ** Suumer, Goddess of Thieves, Freedom, Luck, Poison, Innuendo, Chaos and Revolution ** [[Yawrani|'Yawrani']], Whimsy, Revelry, Celebration, Wine, Fun and Music ** Abdulah, 'Good, Joy, Happiness, Hope ** 'Sousanna, 'Love and Lust ** 'Chloe, Friendship, Community, Family, Home, Cooperation, Loyalty ** Timon, 'Nobility, Aristocracy ** 'Kain, '''Solitude and Isolation * ''Sien Beasts'' -- Worldly Aspects ** [[Limax|Limax']], Beast of Hunger and Entropy ** Birth and Creation ** Sacrifice and Martyrdom ** Snakes, Lizards, Dragons, Trickery, Cowardice, Deception ** Hardness ** Temperature ** Elasticity ** Density ** Color ** Weight ** Etc. Theories of the Skyseekers As new information is gathered, The Skyseekers attempt to consolidate the various belief systems into a cohesive history. * The Precursors: The four original gods of creation. * The Sien Beasts: Created at the birth of the world. The world was their domain until the Precursors grew tired of them and decided to change things to suit their new whims. * It is unknown how much of our current world reflects the shaping of the Beasts during their reign (plants and animals, mountains and rivers?), or whether these things were the changes made by the Precursors which the Beasts rebelled against. * Fia: Creatures of whimsy and chaos. It is unclear who created them, why, and who they support or fight against. * The Limax: One of the original Sien Beasts who fought back against the Precursors changes. * The New Gods: During the Precursors' battle with the Limax, various Sien Beasts were turned into gods to defeat the Limax. * Imprisonment of the Precursors: At some point, the Precursors were placed into a deep sleep within the Void. Who was responsible is as of yet unknown, but it most likely the new gods. As for why, it may be to limit their chaotic powers and to stabilize creation. If a second period of "change" threatened the new gods, the Sien Beasts, the dragons, and men, perhaps they combined forces to stop the Precursors from wiping it all out again. ** Tempus, the Bane of the West: A mortal herald of the Precursors. Originally he served the god of Time, but now serves all four deities and shares their powers. it was he and his brothers who awakened the Precursors from their long slumber. ** Godhand: Some claim this warrior is a god or deity in physical form, while others believe he is a human of unmatched ability. While no direct evidence has been uncovered, Skyseekers speculate this being may have been a herald of the Precursor of Life, similar to Genisis. While the Precursor of Life was angry at the failure of the Makaveli deal to provide the life of millions, it may be that the Godhand made a different deal for the preservation of life (at his own expense). What this indicates about the nature of the Precursor of Life remains to be seen. * Demons: These creatures threaten the Sien Beasts, as they have the ability to kill them for good. What is their origin? * The Vent: Eldoth nature magic which may be connected to the gods, the SienBeasts, or directly to the materials the Precursors used to shape the world. * The Míshásta Pantheon: Six sibling deities created by the Precursors from Sien Beasts to combat the Limax. ** Gaineamh: The religious mecca of the Pantheon, Gaineamh is the location where the six Míshásta siblings made themselves known to a group of pilgrims fallen into disrepair on the edge of a harsh desert during the ''great diaspora south on the western continent. The gods granted the pilgrims with seeds and soil for crop, spears and shields to protect their sheep, books for knowledge, and withheld the touches of death and disease, granting the people a long life. After a season, the deities returned home. Where these deities traveled to and from is not specified. ** The Vert Order: While religion is not as prevalent in modern Hollen, an order of green knights known as the Vert Order practiced and observed Thenism. The Order served the city of Toréns from the 7th century until the 11th centuries, constructing Torra du Argent (translated locally as "Tower of Silver"), a citadel and prison that sits in Toréns' Old City. * Ikait: A lesser god, perhaps an equal of the Míshásta created by the Precursors, but who did not participate in their imprisonment and was therefor shunned by the others. Alternatively, the offspring or creation of one of the Míshásta. * Kite: Possibly a demi-god or ascended mortal hero, Kite does not appear to be an equal of the Míshásta, and his worshipers tend to be separated from other religions. * Suumer: The Goddess of Thieves was supposedly driven out of Kite's Country. She seems to be on an equal level with Kite, being a lesser deity, perhaps another demigod or ascended mortal. * Yawrani: The God of Celebration is a god that travels around the world in the company of others, seeing to be also on the level of at least Suumer being a demigod or ascended mortal. * Hyolyn Skyseeker: While not officially recognized as a deity, a sect known as the Skysworn in Chondo worship Hyolyn as the Cloud Mystic, and believe she was personally responsible for raising Chondo itself. ** Black Rock: Hyolyn described Chondo as her "locus between heaven and the earth", and the island in the middle of Lake Chondo held special attention for her. She said the The Rock "called to her" and "tugged at her soul". After the settlement of Chondo was established, Hyolyn undertook a spiritual quest with a select few to the Black Rock. A temple was established here, and grew over the years, but exactly who or what was worshiped here is unclear to outsiders at this time.